my travelogue – knowing my country by experience, one place at a time

travel for the sheer pleasure of travelling is my form of escape.
it is refreshment for my soul,
and comfort for my spirit.
it is like reading a good book about my favorite place,
only, am really there.

my country, the Philippines, is an exciting and beautiful place.
none can equal it that man has discovered. (at least from my point of view)
it is filled with many natural and man made marvels.
precious things of nature were put here for enjoyment,
as well as to learn and help me survive.
it also hosts volcanoes, jungles, exotic animals, mountains, seas, waterfalls, and even rainbows. (even at my farm, i can see rainbows through dark clouds, and i was able to capture it in a picture, a reminder of its beauty) i call it:

GOD'S PROMISE.

many people are content to be born, live and die in basically the same neighborhood,
and have no interest in moving beyond their backyards.
even more are afraid to travel out of their comfort zone,
past visiting relatives out of town.

i learned to appreciate the world by exploring it.

travel is good for understanding geography and maps.
and more importantly,
understanding people.
there's much to be learned about other people besides our own Baao culture,
(even more besides the Filipino culture)
and from my travels,
i find that travellers are far more friendlier than everyday people.
there seems to be a fraternity of sorts
where the common goal is to have a great time,
and acknowledge each other with an attitude of,
"we're so glad you could get away too."

learning positive things from other cultures is a good thing,
and all have something to offer.
i have sojourned among cebuanos, davaoenos, cagayanons, ilocanos, the igorots, aetas, tagalogs, cavitenos, etc,
i can honestly say i've never been treated badly being a baaoeno, a bicolano.
at the end of the day,
we all broke bread together,
laughed together and feasted,
enjoyed song, music, and dance.
those experiences showed me how beautiful the world can truly be.

i've seen many beautiful things through travels.
i've seen black sand beaches, golden, white, beige with pastel colors of peach, pink.
i've seen oceans of baby blue, midnight blue, and the deepest teal no crayon can match.

my journeys have allowed me to taste exquisite dishes and fine wines,
my country is a beautiful country despite the problems,
and it was given to me to explore, learn about and enjoy.
i am to keep it, and cultivate it, to leave something for future generations.

(i am sharing my philippine travels: palawan, bohol, zamboanga del norte, cebu, albay, manila, tagaytay, quezon and other places lined up in my long list. it is my way of being proud of my one and only country, the Philippines)